Biography
Lucio Oliveri (Milan, 16 October 1934) is a contemporary Italian sculptor who lives and works in Milan, his native city.
Lucio Oliveri’s artistic vocation emerged in 1954, at the age of nineteen, upon the death of his father, when he decided to model his portrait in plasticine.
In the 1970s he attended the sculpture course at the Centro Artistico Culturale Milanese for seven years under the guidance of the master Franco Zazzeri, completing his otherwise self-taught training.
For many years Oliveri has worked within a personal figurative idiom, aimed at expressing moods, human attitudes and feelings through a synthesis of the human figure distilled to its essentials.
A prominent place in his work is held by the attention he devotes to hands, an anatomical detail on which he often dwells and which he uses as a sublimation of grace, gentleness, tenderness and love.
His output is distinguished by the attention and affection he devotes to the feminine world, often at the heart of his most successful works.
Over the course of his career he has taken part in more than 250 group exhibitions and 26 solo exhibitions, as well as countless artistic and cultural events, for a total of over 300 events, receiving 27 awards from critics and the public (21 first prizes and 6 second prizes).
In 2013 a bronze Crucifix by the Maestro was acquired by the Chapelle de Notre Dame de Vie in Mougins (FR), a 12th-century chapel restored in 1654 and listed since 1927 in the register of French historic monuments.
His most recent work, “INSIEME”, created for Lampedusa and Linosa, was unveiled during the 1st International Mediterranean Congress on Peace, held in Lampedusa on 28 – 29 – 30/4/2022. The bronze work, 2.20 m tall, reaches 5 metres with its base and stands permanently at the centre of Piazza Castello in Lampedusa.
A catalogue of Lucio Oliveri’s works, edited by Paolo Levi and published by Giorgio Mondadori, is available on the Cairo Editore website [link]
A selection of his most significant works can be found in the dedicated section of this website, where they are organised into the following Sections:
A statue representing "L'Ascolto" for the Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano; the bronze work was created by the Milanese sculptor Lucio Oliveri and donated to the IRCCS Foundation by Re d'Italia Art, a Salerno-based company specialising in art collecting and publishing, as part of the "Arte Italia Nostra" project.
Main Exhibitions (solo and group shows)
2025
- Rome - Re d’Italia Art donates a work by Lucio Oliveri to the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy
2023
- Milan - Permanent installation of the monumental work 'L'Ascolto', donated to the Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano by Lucio Oliveri.
2022
- Lampedusa - Permanent installation in Piazza Castello, inaugurated by the Mayor during the 1st International Mediterranean Congress on Peace
2021
- S.Angelo Lodigiano; Castello Bolognini: Contemporary art exhibition
- Milan - Centro Artistico Culturale: “Sensazioni e Armonie”
2020
- Milan - Galleria Velasquez “Arte insieme”
- Milan - UCAI – Biblioteca Umanistica: Uomo, terra; Infinito
- Milan - Museo della Permanente “Venti e Venti”
- Virtual exhibition UCAI “Essere @ Tessere"
2019
- Salerno - Castello Arechi, exhibition of contemporary art
- New York – Artexpo
- Milan – UCAI - Biblioteca Umanistica “Polifonie verso l’oltre”
- Milan - Museo della Permanente, members’ exhibition “Io e Leonardo”
2018
- S. Donato Milanese - Galleria V. Guidi “Periferie Urbane, Periferie Umane”.
- Sanremo - Palafiori: Re d’Italia Art presents a new work.
- Milan - Museo della Permanente, members’ exhibition “Colore, materia, luce”.
- Milan - Centro Artistico Culturale Milanese - “An evening dedicated to the artist”
2017
- Sanremo - Palafiori, exhibition with the works presented by Prof. V. Sgarbi.
- Milan - Exhibition-event at Spazio: “Energia dell’immaginario”.
- Milan - Biblioteca Umanistica dell’Incoronata, “Periferie Urbane Periferie Umane”.
- Milan - Biblioteca Umanistica dell’Incoronata, “La forma tangibile della linea”.
2016
- Milan - Galleria Spazio Libero 8: “Luoghi, momenti, sensazioni”.
- Milan - Museo della Permanente, members’ exhibition: “Poetiche in dialogo”.
- Milan - Event with a solo exhibition at Spazio Boffetto.
- Milan - Solo exhibition at Galleria Spazio Libero 8.
- Milan - Biblioteca Umanistica: exhibition “Visioni e rappresentazioni”.
2015
- Monza - UCAI, Santuario di Santa Maria delle Grazie: “Testimonianze”.
- Ferrara - Palazzo della Racchetta: “Natura, il segno della bellezza”.
- Milan - Museo della Permanente, members’ exhibition: “Miscellanea”.
- Milan - City of Milan, Palazzina Liberty: “Milano, Expo 1906 al 2015”.
- Milan - Museo della Permanente: “Palio Artistico - Milano Expo 2015”.
2014
- Milan, Museo della Permanente, members’ exhibition: “Energia per la vita”.
- Milan - UCAI, at the Biblioteca Umanistica dell’Incoronata: “Punti di Vista”.
- Milan - UCAI, exhibition at San Bernardino alle Ossa: “Linea d’incontro”.
- Milan - Spazio Sanpa, “40 Artisti per S. Patrignano”, Letizia Moratti.
- Milan - UCAI, Basilica di San Carlo al Corso: exhibition “Testimonianze”.
2013
- Milan – Exhibition at the Associazione Artisti Quartiere Garibaldi.
- Milan – UCAI exhibition “Lo spirituale nella materia”.
- Milan – UCAI exhibition “Metamorfosi” at the Biblioteca Umanistica di Santa Maria Incoronata.
- Mougins/Provence - Unveiling of the bronze Crucifix on the occasion of the restoration of the “Chapelle Notre Dame de Vie”, a medieval chapel listed as a national heritage monument.
- Mougins/Provence - Retrospective exhibition at the Municipal Museum.
- Monza: UCAI, Santa Maria delle Grazie: “Lo Spirituale nella Materia”.
- S.Angelo Lodigiano - Castello Morando Bolognini: 50th anniversary of the C.A.C.M.
- Lodi Vecchio - Ex Conventino: Italian artists of the 20th century, exhibition “Generazioni a confronto”
- Principality of Monaco - Month of Italian Culture and Language.
2012
- Exhibition at the C.A.C.M.: “Due Fratelli un unico amore l’Arte”.
- Rome – Letter from President Napolitano for the work “150° Unità d’Italia”.
- Milan – UCAI exhibition at the Fondazione Culturale Ambrosianeum.
- Milan – UCAI exhibition at the Abbazia di San Lorenzo in Monlué: “Ultimi Lavori”
2011
- Milan – Circolo della Stampa, exhibition for the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy.
- Milan – Amarte event at Aliby Gallery.
2010
- Florence - Auction at the Pandolfini auction house.
- Salerno – Amarte event at the Sala dei Marmi of the Town Hall: “I 7 Peccati Capitali”.
- Milan – Exhibition at the Permanente: “Artisti della Permanente di Milano”.
- Mantua – Amarte exhibition-event at the Museo Francesco Gonzaga.
2009
- Milan – Collectors’ event at Arte Reale, Via Sant’Andrea.
- Milan – Auction at Christie’s.
- Mantua – Solo exhibition at the Museo Francesco Gonzaga.
2008
- Garbagnate (Mi) – Exhibition “Scultori della Permanente di Milano”.
- Desio (Mi) – Exhibition “Artisti della Permanente di Milano”.
- Gravedona (Co) – Exhibition “Artisti della Permanente di Milano”.
2007
- Milan – Basilica di San Satiro, Bramante Sacristy: exhibition of sacred art.
2006
- Ventimiglia – Solo exhibition at the Museo Forte dell’Annunziata.
- Milan – Auditorium Rosetum: “An evening dedicated to the artist”.
- Como – Solo exhibition at San Pietro in Atrio.
2005
- Milan – Exhibition at the Circolo della Stampa – Palazzo Serbelloni.
- Imola – Solo exhibition at the Sala dell’Annunziata
2004
- Rome – Presentation of the monograph published by Giorgio Mondadori Editore at Palazzo Barberini.
- Rome – Retrospective exhibition at Palazzo Barberini
2003
- Castellanza (Va) – Solo exhibition at Villa Pomini.
- Dolceacqua (Im) – Solo exhibition for the inauguration of Palazzo Doria
Monographs and Catalogues
-Catalogue of the retrospective exhibition at the City of Milan ’94;
-Editoriale Giorgio Mondadori:
- Monograph ’04;
- Italian Sculptors ’06;
- Modern Art: Italian artists from the early 20th century to the present ’04, ’05, ’06, ’07, ’08, ’09;
- the volume “Oltre Canova” ’09; –
-Centro Diffusione Arte, Palermo:
- Grandi Maestri ’08;
Art fair catalogues:
- Reggio Emilia ’99, ’06, ’07, ’08, ’09;
- Parma ’00, ’07;
- Turin ’00, ’01, ’02;
- Jesolo ’00;
- Monte Carlo ’00;
- Leiden (Netherlands) ’01;
- Ghent (Belgium) ’01;
- Rosmalen (Netherlands) ’01;
- Padua ’03, ’07;
- Innsbruck (Austria) ’08;
- Como/Erba ’08;
- Marseille (France) ’09;
- Cannes (France) ’09;
Event catalogues:
- Contemporary art exhibition, Salone dell’Arengo, Broletto di Novara ’00, ’01, ’02, ’05, ’07, ’08;
- Museo della Permanente di Milano: ’01 in Milan; ’08 in Garbagnate; ’08 in Desio; ’08 in Gravedona;
- Centro Artistico Culturale Milanese: 40th anniversary of its founding ’03; Omaggio a Milano ’08;
- Unione Cattolica Artisti Italiani: Arte in San Satiro ’04; Sessant’anni d’Arte ’06; Via Lucis, Rome branch ’06; Via Pacis, travelling exhibition ’07;
- Castello Estense, Ferrara: Corpo Segno e Superficie ’07;
- Figure del Silenzio, travelling exhibition ’07;
- Sinestesie Creative, event at Arte Reale ’09;
- Exhibitors of the Galleria Zamenof ’09;
Auction house catalogues:
- Milan, Christie’s Art 4 Children ’09;
- Florence, Pandolfini ’09;
Yearbooks:
- L’èlite, Arte Italiana ’99;
- Comed ’01, ’09.